OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Hugan Qingzhi tablets on lipid metabolism and inflammation in rats fed on high-fat diet and explore the underlying mechanisms.

METHODSSixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, namely HFD group (with high-fat diet and distilled water), control group (with normal diet and distilled water), fenofibrate group (with high-fat diet and treatment with 0.1 g

RESULTSAt high and moderate doses, Hugan Qingzhi effectively decreased the levels of ALT, AST, TG and CHOL levels in the serum, lowered the hepatic levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP, enhanced p-AMPK, and reduced the expression of SREBP-1c, FASN and Ac-NF-αB-p65 in the liver of rats fed on high-fat diet.

CONCLUSIONHugan Qingzhi tablets alleviates hyperlipidemia and inflammation in rats fed with high-fat diet possibly by activating AMPK pathway and suppress NF-αB activity to arrest the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.